


Fading Flowers

by Ruunkur



Series: The Keepers [1]
Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: But there's a lot of hints as to who it is., The third person is unnamed, Vague
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21876214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: They were raised in a world that boarded another. A fight, one that they couldn't have imagined, would break out.And they are left to pick up the pieces as one of their own fades away.
Series: The Keepers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575967
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Fading Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Some semi-vague one-shotness.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> I had nothing better to do at work today.

His fingers curled into fists, the dirty snow pressing up against him. It almost wasn’t cold anymore, not with the way the snow was darkening to pink.

What time had it been? Where was he?

The questions almost seemed meaningless as he stared at the snow.

The sounds of a battle, long concluded, still echoed in his ears. He wasn’t sure if the others had seen him go down, if they knew where he was.

Only, he knew that, if they had seen him fall, they would have come for him. They would have come for him by now.

They wouldn’t leave him in the snow, his insides burning.

Maybe they had seen him fall. Maybe they were avoiding him, knowing that there was nothing that could help him now.

The fight had been brutal. The monster, the digimon that they thought had been _dead_ a thousand times over, had come out of nowhere and attacked.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise, not by the way it moved. It was patched together, broken just as they were. It was screaming, screaming in pain or rage, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

All he knew was that it had gotten off a lucky hit and had scattered them. They were weaker without each other, they fed off each other’s strengths and weaknesses, protected each other.

With a grunt, the man let out a sigh, letting himself fall onto the snow. It was warmer than the air around him, warmer than trying to push himself upright and into a position that hurt less. Hell, even the snow felt good against the burning in his stomach.

Comforting.

***

Comforting.

That was the last word he had thought before the blackness consumed him. He felt shaky, as he opened his eyes. The room, while it was white, was different from the snow.

He could hear the steady beep of a monitor, the steady hum of electric lights. He wasn’t sure where he was, but it was comforting. It was more of a comfort than he had in a long time.

He wondered, after a moment, what happened to the snow. If it was still outside. But, when he tried to turn his head, he only felt pain.

“Daisuke!”

The sound of a name crashed over him and he swallowed, only adding to his pain as he blinked. He wasn’t sure…

What wasn’t he sure of?

There was someone there, someone placing a hand on your shoulder, telling you something.

But you let the darkness take you over, let yourself sink into the abyss.

***

“I told you, he woke up!”

Ken crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at the doctor. He was impatient. He was tired. The night had dragged on too long. It was one of too many that he had been faced with in recent days.

“Sir, we’re not saying-”

Ken let out a frustrated growl, feeling Daisuke’s hand curl into his shoulder.

“Come on, they’re trying their best. Just… we have to keep our own hope, right?”

Ken turned, meeting Daisuke’s gaze. When he glanced back over, he saw that the doctor had used the change to escape the room.

“Dai, what are we going to do if he _doesn’t_ wake up? What if he’s… what if the doctor’s right?”

Daisuke let out a huff, sitting down in a chair as he looked towards their fallen companion. Of the twelve, he had sustained the most injuries and he had been unconscious for most of the fight as they drove back the pressing hoards.

To see one of their only protectors fallen had shaken the city. They managed to hold their ground, but it was at a cost that Ken was uncomfortable with.

“Well, then we go and beat the bastard bloody for who did this, and then we string him up by his toes, then we turn him to data if he’s still alive after that,” Daisuke responded, “we just have to believe that he will be okay. He’s healing, even Jou made certain of that.”

“Healing, but at what rate?” Ken murmured, his eyes distant. “And will it be enough?”

“Do you want me to stay the night? You could hit the front lines and see what is needed to do out there. Blow off some steam. Hikari and Miyako are taking over for Mimi and Jou. They need a second pair. I think Koushiro will be joining them.”

Ken let out a sigh, closing his eyes. “Are you trying to convince me to leave?” he asked.

Daisuke cocked a grin, though it didn’t reach his eyes. Ken was pulled in by the overwhelming sadness that was there.

“We knew this would be dangerous work. Casualties are bound to happen. We have been _lucky_ that this was the first in so many battles, Ken. We may be warriors, but we also have to have hope that we will drive the scourge from this land.”

Ken let out a sigh, dropping his head. With one last effort, he walked towards the door, looking at the figure on the bed. “Will you stay with him?”

Daisuke nodded, sitting down in a chair. “Yes, I’ll stay. I’ll take the next shift when you get back.”

Ken nodded, walking out the door and into the cold December air. He looked up at the sky, his eyes full of sadness.

***

Daisuke turned his attention back to the figure lying on the bed, adjusting himself in the chair and letting out a sigh. “You’ve caused quite the worry, you know that?” he murmured.

He had expected the silence but he was still hurt by it.

“Damn it, why did you have to go out there by yourself?”

He paused, grimacing.

“Guess we got separated and we weren’t really ‘out there’ by ourselves. _He_ came back. He _always_ comes back, doesn’t he?”

Another pause, Daisuke leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. “The holidays are coming up. We weren’t sure what to tell your parents, though… I suppose that’s not as much of a danger, since we still haven’t been able to find them. A lot of people are still missing, after that last attack. You did great, by the way! You were able to save a lot of people when you came down by yourself. No one’s mad at you.”

Daisuke smiled to himself, shaking his head.

“That’s the best we can do, huh? Hope that we can do our best and know that it doesn’t happen often. We’re turning the tides. It would be nice to know that you were okay, but they’re doing their best. You just get the rest you deserve, okay?”

Daisuke let out another sigh, dropping his head into his hands.

“We’re just kids, aren’t we?”

***

The days passed on, days turning into weeks, weeks turning into months.

There was always someone in the room, at least they tried. They tried to ensure that someone was always there.

He had heard them, walking in and out and tugging on the very edge of his conscious thoughts. He wasn’t there, not yet. He couldn’t bring himself to leave the warmth.

Deep down, he was excited for the rest. The chance to get away from the fighting. He had never wanted to be a fighter, but when the call came, he had answered it. He had answered and this was his payment.

They were known as the Keepers. The ones that would stop the tide of the other worlds leaking into theirs. The guardians of the space between worlds.

And, with one last unconscious thought, he wondered what would happen when the Keepers died.

***

Victory felt hollow, that was how Ken would describe it.

Hollow.

Empty.

He stood at the edge of the bed, reaching out and touching the hand of the one that would not wake. He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

“The enemy has been driven back. The Keepers… we are to move on. Now is your chance. Please, come with us. Stay with us. You are healed and rested. There will be no more battle. We need… we need someone to keep records, to watch over the worlds and to learn everything they can.”

The man let out a sigh, grimacing. “But, you’re just hiding, aren’t you? You never wanted to fight, even when you were summoned. You did your best, you did amazing. But, the battle is over, Takeru.”

There was a pause, Ken turning and shaking his head.

“We are leaving.”

There was silence.

“Please, come with us.”

There was movement, Ken holding his breath. He watched the figure, his hope fading as the monitor flatlined, signaling the death of the one who held out until the end.


End file.
